The presently disclosed embodiments are directed to the field of vehicle sensing and indication systems for conveying information to a driver as to the presence and proximity of one or more objects, such as other vehicles, in the driver's blind spot.
It is well known to provide driver warning systems in vehicles to warn of impending collisions. The prior art describes numerous systems that provide visual, audible, and tactile indications to a driver of a potential collision. The terms “blind spot” or “blind zone” as used in the prior art, generally refer to the rearward lateral regions along the left and right exterior sides of a vehicle. These regions are generally hidden from view of the driver when looking into the rear view and/or side mirror(s) of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,881 discloses a visual indicator using multiple lights located on a vehicle dash or instrument panel which conveys information from a vehicle proximity sensing system. The '881 patent also discloses a mode of operation in which the lights are flashed to convey a danger warning, based upon detected distances.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,679 relates to a warning device for monitoring a distance between a vehicle and an obstacle. Although the '679 patent is not specifically directed to a blind spot detection system, the patent provides various descriptions of visual warning systems. The '679 patent continues and describes warning signal elements that are located on the rear window and in view of the driver when backing up. The warning signal elements contain a collection of differently colored LED's. The system, upon detection of an obstacle at a distance, flashes all the LED's depending upon a calculated time to collision (TTC) value.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,677 is directed to a blind spot detector system. The patent describes a detection and indication system incorporated in a vehicle external rear view mirror. A single bi-color LED in the vehicle side mirror is illuminated green when the system is operational, solid red when calibration is required, and flashes red when an object is detected in the blind spot.
US Patent Publication 2006/0006988 relates to a warning display system that visually warns the driver of a vehicle of an object in a blind spot. The system detects or determines anticipated movement of the vehicle or object, and increases the degree of illumination of a warning indicator when the vehicle or object is approaching the driver.
Although satisfactory in many regards, prior art blind spot warning systems have used collections of multiple lights which may be different in color or vary in the number of lights that are illuminated to convey information to a driver. In addition, certain prior art systems employ audible alarms in conjunction with activation of one or more lights. The use of multiple lights, particularly those differing in color, or those emitting sounds, can distract a driver and thus become a safety hazard. This concern is heightened with the increasing amounts of information and data that are now typically presented to a driver. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an indication system that was simple yet which could convey an assortment of information, and which was less distracting than prior art collections of lights or those emitting audible alarms.
Blind spot detection systems typically provide a variety of information to a driver such as the presence of one or more objects in the blind zone, the location of the object(s) in the blind zone, the speed of the object(s), the operating condition of the detection system, and numerous other factors. Therefore, prior art blind spot indicator systems typically used multiple lights which were operated in certain fashions to convey particular information to the driver. As previously noted, the use of multiple lights can distract a driver. And depending upon how the multiple lights are configured, a driver may experience difficulty in remembering what each display pattern or mode of operation of the lights represents. In addition, providing multiple lights increases costs and is undesirable as a result of greater complexity and costs during maintenance or repair of the system. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a blind spot indicator system that could convey multiple information items in a simple manner, without the use of multiple lights.
Drivers often prefer that vehicle information be presented on the dash or instrument panel. This enables a driver to quickly assess multiple information items in a single glance. However, with the increasing amounts of electronics and associated controls and displays provided in vehicles, available area on the dash or instrument panel has decreased. For this reason, vehicle designers have located certain controls and indicators on other regions of the vehicle such as in external side mirrors or within the vehicle interior, such as on rearview mirrors or have used heads up displays. As noted in the various descriptions of prior art blind spot indication systems, incorporating one or more lights in the external side mirrors is common. Although beneficial in many regards, placement of such indicators in external mirrors is not always desirable particularly in environments where snow and ice can collect on such mirrors. Although such alternative locations and display strategies will likely continue to be used, it would be desirable to provide an indicator capable of conveying multiple items of information, which occupies only a relatively small area, thus enabling such indicator to be located on the dash or instrument panel where such area is at a premium.